Daphne documents the slate plaques marking the graves of locality’s unbaptised children

THERE are a number of burial grounds in Valentia, eight in total, in which un-baptised children are laid to rest with their graves unmarked.

Of these, two exist in Farranreigh, one in Ballymanach, two in Feighmane one in Gortgower, one in Upper Tennis and one in Corobeg. Daphne Pochin-Mould in her book Valentia, ‘Portrait of an Island’ outlines a description of such places as follows:

“Cillín or Ceallúnach is the name commonly given to small monastic settlements of the Celtic Church, places to which some flavour of sanctity clung so that people used to bury unbaptised babies in them.

“As the Catholic Church has deemed this year to be the year of the family, the Valentia Church Pastoral Council and its Liturgy group decided to commemorate such grounds with the erection of Valentia slate plaques in honour of all those buried.

“The first was put in place a number of months ago in the land of Muiris and Bernie O’Donoghue of Feighmane and in recent times one was also erected in the land of James and Noreen Sugrue of Corobeg.

“The remaining six will follow.”